British Literature & Composition

Teacher: Melissa Liipfert Date/Time: Monday - 10:40 AM to 12:10 PM Recommended Grades: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Department: Language Arts Grade Level: High School (9th-12th) Maximum Enrollment: 15

Who is this class for?

This class is best suited for high school students (grades 9–12) who need to fulfill a high school English Language Arts requirement, but also want to enjoy learning in the process. Please note that because this is a high school-level course, students will be challenged with grade-level appropriate reading and writing assignments. Due to the workload, a second composition or literature class is unnecessary; however, parents are responsible for determining credit applicability.

Would you rather watch a video introduction? Click HERE for more information!

When you think of British Literature, do you think of dry, boring books your grandmother used to read?

Well, have no fear, because British Literature is so much more!

It’s heroes of old battling ancient creatures in Beowulf. Attempting, and succeeding, at reading and pronouncing words in Middle English from Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales with a straight face. It’s bringing Shakespeare’s Macbeth to life, one act at a time. British Literature is recognizing that satirical essays by men like Jonathan Swift were made in jest, not to be taken literally.

It also tackles the social and economic wars fought between the working class and the wealthy mill owners in Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, the ambition and growth of a young man and his Great Expectations, and the rise and fall of revolutionary ideals in Orwell’s Animal Farm.

It laughs at the competitive nature of two best friends who push each other to help The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Hobbit become two of the greatest stories of our time.

British Literature isn’t made up of old books that need dusting. It is made up of timeless tales that address universal themes of morality, love, friendship, justice, and freedom.

Overview: Together, as a class, we will:

• Focus on literary analysis (conflict, plot, characters, setting, theme)
• Lead and participate in a Socratic discussion through literature circles
• Vocabulary - This class covers several novels, plays, and short stories. (Subject to change. This is my running list as of now.)

Expectations and Requirements:

• In this class, students will read assigned chapters at home to participate in a round-table, Socratic-style discussion during class. The goal of round-table discussions is to enhance student engagement, strengthen communication skills, boost confidence in a safe, friendly environment, and embrace the joy of learning British Literature in a fun, relatable way.
• In addition to reading, students will create and maintain a dedicated binder notebook system to explore historical timelines, people, places (geography), and events thoroughly within their novel studies.
• Students are to create their own vocabulary lists each week. Because they are in high school, they must learn to learn. Vocabulary will be checked in class as part of their binder, but the goal is to teach students how to be more independent in finding the answers for themselves.
• Students will be assessed by participating in weekly discussions, occasional class presentations, writing assignments, being the group discussion leader during an assigned week, and/or class tests and projects.

Tuition: $350/semester + Books if you decide to purchase them. Please note that many can be found at the local library, on Project Gutenberg, or on archive.org.

(Does not include MAS registration fees.)

5 students minimum - 15 maximum